[Current & Culture] The Best of 2021 Is...

The year 2021 has completely passed. How was your 2021, dear readers? One way to wrap up the year is to pick your personal bests in various fields throughout the year. Shall we try it together?

First, the song I chose as this year’s best is BTS’s “Butter.” It’s not because of overwhelming achievements or astronomical earnings. This song confirmed that BTS as a team reigns supreme not only in K-pop but across the global pop market. Following the sweet and smooth “Butter,” the song “Permission to Dance” delivered a message of comfort and coexistence, moving many, and was even performed at the United Nations Headquarters. Be sure to check out that video! The popularity of “My Universe,” a collaboration with the world’s top rock band Coldplay, was also tremendous. All these songs reached number one on the Billboard charts. For several years, I have thought, “This must be BTS’s peak year,” but every year I realize I was wrong. Now, I’m just curious how much longer they will hold their top position with nowhere higher to go.

For the most enjoyable movies of 2021, I pick the domestic film Jasan-eobo and the international film Don’t Look Up. Even as the video market’s dominance seems to be shifting from movies to dramas due to COVID-19, such great films are still emerging. I will omit detailed discussion to avoid spoilers, but if you haven’t seen them yet, I strongly recommend them. Of course, depending on personal taste, some might find “Butter” noisy and Jasan-eobo boring. For the best drama, I choose D.P. If K-pop has swallowed the global music market over the past few years, 2021 will be recorded as the year Korean dramas devoured Netflix. At the center are Squid Game and the subsequent Hellbound, but I found D.P. the most entertaining. It’s not easy to dramatize such heavy and gloomy themes in an engaging way while maintaining authenticity, but I truly admired it.

Let’s also pick the people of 2021. Time magazine named American entrepreneur Elon Musk as Person of the Year. I partly agree. However, I would select former German Chancellor Angela Merkel as Person of the Year. A woman scientist from East Germany who entered politics and held Europe’s highest power for 16 years, her life is beyond great. For athlete of the year, I choose Japanese player Shohei Ohtani, active in Major League Baseball. I mentioned him in a previous column; Ohtani’s 2021 season, excelling simultaneously as an ace starting pitcher and one of the league’s top hitters, was undoubtedly one of the most shocking seasons in baseball history. For the worst person of the year, I select Jeon Du-hwan. This man, who committed a clear massacre, left without apology or acknowledgment. Is it acceptable for a mass murderer’s end to be so peaceful? My parents said that hating someone hurts you just as much, but I will simply hate and grieve for this man. I only hope he pays for his unatoned sins in the afterlife.

I’m curious about your 2021 best lists, dear readers. When we look back at 2022 a year from now, whose names will be on our best lists? On the worst lists? I sincerely hope the new president’s name will be on the best list, not the worst.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year! I’m happy we can continue to meet in 2022.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist